Conditions at high-security Broadmoor Hospital were condemned today as lacking in basic standards of dignity, privacy and cleanliness.

The "overwhelming majority" of wards at the Berkshire site were "totally unfit for purpose", an inspection by the independent NHS watchdog, the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI), found.

Its report painted a bleak picture of the conditions endured by the 400 men and women patients at the psychiatric hospital, which has housed infamous criminals including Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper.

CHI's 50-page report on West London Mental Health NHS Trust, which includes Broadmoor, said the hospital environment "cannot be considered an appropriate, humane environment for modern mental healthcare delivery".

Set in 53 acres, Broadmoor was built in 1863 with its large Victorian buildings now used alongside modern additions.